


Heavy Metal Broke My Heart

by dapatty



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Feelings, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 21:50:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16375631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dapatty/pseuds/dapatty
Summary: 3.	Andy Hurley/Ray Toro, ‘heavy metal broke my heart.’Or rather, Ray is one with mope and in times of trouble Andy shows up.





	Heavy Metal Broke My Heart

Ray wasn’t completely at loose ends and quietly unraveling one unfinished guitar riff at a time. Nope. Freaking out? That was for other people whose bands had broken up, not him. He’s totally got this. 

Sure, he can’t remember exactly when he last took a shower. Sure, he can’t remember when he’d had an actual food that’s wasn’t cereal. And okay, so what, Christa called to check on him. But look, she didn’t have his current mess of feelings. Feelings that he was admittedly ignoring through the power of wallowing in ratty pajamas and dry breakfast foods.

See, if he admitted he was a mess of feelings right now--because he totally was not a mess except for how he totally was--he just might end up doing Truly Epic Wallowing. He didn’t intellectually feel that the band being over warranted a Truly Epic Wallow. He’d been in bands that hadn’t worked out before. It wasn’t like anyone had died. 

And sure, he’d texted with the guys. Frank had really been the only one he’d had any meaningful contact with and that was mostly through snaps of his many dogs. Gerard seemed totally fine and chattered about the new comic he was working on. Mikey was going out with some new girl and Ray just didn’t have the energy to see how that was going to shake out. So, he had plenty of time to work on his own stuff now. 

But yeah. Okay. He might be wallowing a little. 

His phone buzzed with a text. He started to ignore it, expecting it to be Christa or his mom, but it was Andy Hurley of all people. Swiping his phone open, he read:

_pajamas and cookie crunch is just so uncomplicated, right?_

Ray snorted out a laugh, much to his surprise. Because lazy pants and cereal have been so not hard and it’s laugh or cry. Andy Hurley showing up like some damn superhero of perfect timing would not make him breakdown. Ray had made it a whole month without crying, thank you very much. The tear that threatened to slide down his cheek this very moment did not count.

In a painfully honest moment of clarity, Ray replied with:

_yes, I’m totally, pathetically wallowing. Tell me to put actual clothes on and go get groceries like an actual adult._

_nah._ Andy replied and followed with: _i’m bringing you a restock of the the essentials and making you dinner._

 _I didn’t know you were even in town._

_I’m always in town for you. ;)_

Ray snorted. He would not let himself overthink winking emojis from hot tattooed drummers who apparently had plans to make him dinner. He. Would. Not. 

_look. If you’re busy with band stuff, I appreciate you thinking of me, but I’m totally fine._

And just like that Andy was calling. Well shit. Ray desperately fought the urge to let it go to voicemail because he suspected that wasn’t a very brave thing to do and a little childish maybe. He swiped to answer and then just stood there with the phone to his ear.

“Ray, I know that you are a nice dude, but a guy might be a little insulted when a friend tries to act like helping him out is an inconvenience.” Andy said, soft and stern.

“You’re a good dude, Andy Hurley,” Ray said, shoulders sagging and fighting a smile. 

“I try,” he said. “And look, I know what bullshit your band breaking up is. You’re talking to a dude who holed up in a Wisconsin cabin for 6 months and barely talked to a soul until Joe showed up and dragged me to be in his metal supergroup. I _get_ it.”

Ray gave a shaky exhale, blinking to fight the tears that tried to cloud his vision. His voice was rough when he said, “Sorry that you went through that.”

“It sucked, even though things are better now,” Andy said. 

“Yeah,” Ray huffed out a laugh. Because sucked was the entirety of it. He was still completely surrounded and nearly overwhelmed by how much things were bleak right now. “But I can’t even finish a riff. It’s been a month. I should be a better grownup than this.”

“Being a grownup is made-up bullshit,” Andy said fiercely. “You don’t have to adhere to made-up bullshit while you try to get past this. ‘Cuz it’s gonna suck for you for a while, because that’s just how this shit is. But you’ll keep making music. Riffs won’t stay unfinished in your capable hands forever. It’s just hard to grasp right now. Just like how it’s hard to make yourself dress like other human people and go outside like the quote-unquote ‘grownups’.”

“You know, I didn’t think I’d ever be on the end of one of your pep talks, seeing as how I’m not Pete Wentz, but it’s kind of helped,” Ray said, just as someone knocked on the door.

“Pete is a menace who’s really gotten his shit together these days,” Andy said.

“So if Pete can do it, than anyone can?” Ray asked wryly.

“You said it, not me,” Andy joked and Ray snorted. “Now open the damn door. I’m here to give you a hug for as long as you need and then I’m making eggplant parm.”

Ray ended the call and peeked out to find Andy standing on his stoop, holding a canvas bag weighed down by what he assumed was veg for dinner. He was covered with more ink than Ray remembered and caught himself wondering if the ink went above his knees and hoping he’d get to find out later. 

Opening the door was the easiest thing he’d done all day, but fighting a smile was harder. Ray suddenly felt it was important he play it cool, at least if he wanted to explore the extent of Andy’s tattoos with his own hands. Or maybe he need not be worried at all. Andy had always kind of liked the direct approach any time they ended up paired off at some get together or other. 

“Hey Ray,” Andy smiled, showing teeth and the corners of his eyes crinkling with it. Ray couldn’t help but smile back as he stepped back to let Andy in. 

The hug was as excellent, as Ray had expected. The weird vegan eggplant parm was an experience that he’d be okay with not having again, but the rest of the night… Well, he got to talk about it. And not-talk about it. And he got to map some previously-unseen ink with his tongue. 

The next morning, he played a few familiar riffs and solos, just for old time’s sake. Then, he wrote a new one.


End file.
